Funding opportunity:
Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences
2016-17 Academic Year
The College has a Graduate Fellowship to award on a College-wide basis for the 2016-17
academic year. This fellowship was established by Grace Caldwell Hopkins to support graduate
research on behalf of her father, Senator Robert Caldwell. We anticipate being able to award this
Fellowship every third year. We are pleased to issue this call for nominations.
The CALS Academic Planning Council suggested in 1999 that college-wide Wisconsin
Distinguished Graduate Fellowships be awarded to proven, outstanding students who have
shown research excellence in either applied or basic sciences. Eligibility requirements,
nomination procedures and materials, and procedures for selection are according to the 2014-15
CALS APC recommendations. The Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship will adhere to
these same standards:
1) Nominations may be submitted by a CALS graduate degree program or by any graduate
degree program in which CALS faculty participate. Each program is limited to one nominee.
The nominee’s major advisor must have a tenured or tenure-leading appointment in a CALS
department or have a partial appointment of 0.1 FTE or greater in CALS to be eligible.
2) Nominees must be enrolled as a full-time student in a CALS Ph.D. program or in any Ph.D.
program in which CALS faculty participate. The nominee must not have exceeded five years in
their current graduate studies before the application deadline. In programs where a Master of
Science is the terminal degree, nominees should have completed one year of graduate study as of
the beginning of the academic year in which the fellowship would be held.
3) Nominees selected will hold the fellowship for one year, September 1, 2016 through August
31, 2017.
4) Nomination materials should be compiled and submitted in the following order and include:
a) The application cover page with the degree program director’s signature (see attachment)
b) A nomination letter from the major advisor
c) A one-page research project description written by the candidate for a non-specialist
reviewer. The one-page research project description should clearly define the nature and
scope of the project, as well as a summary of accomplishments to date, a description of
expected outcomes, and a timeline for completion.
d) The student’s curriculum vitae
e) The student’s graduate transcript
5) Nominations will be reviewed by a three-member panel selected from among members on the
CALS APC. The panel will recommend recipients to the Dean.
6) ONE electronic copy of the nomination materials should be sent to CALS Research Division
at fellowships@cals.wisc.edu by Friday, February 5, 2016.
Please contact Michell Sass (265-9534, michell.sass@wisc.edu) or Associate Dean for Research
Richard Lindroth (262-6792, richard.lindroth@wisc.edu) if you have questions about the
nomination process. We look forward to receiving outstanding nominations for the College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences - Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship.
Frequently asked questions for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Fellowship
opportunities

For CALS fellowships, such as the Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships
(Heins, Thomsen and WI Potato Industry Board) and the Senator Robert Caldwell
Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences, what are the nomination
limitations for degree programs?
o For the Heins and Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships and
the Senator Robert Caldwell Fellowship, degree programs may submit one
nominee for each opportunity. The Heins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate
Fellowship will not be offered in 2016-17.
o One Wisconsin Potato Industry Board Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate
Fellowship will be awarded annually; however, degree programs may submit one
nomination in the area of water resources and one nomination in the area of potato
research.
o It is permitted for degree programs to nominate the same candidate for multiple
fellowship competitions, but only one nomination may be submitted per degree
program within each pool.
o Nominations must be submitted by the degree program Director or the degree
program administrative staff (e.g. Student Services Coordinator). Nominees should
not submit their own nomination documents.

Dissertators (Ph.D. candidates that have passed a Prelim exam and enrolled as a
dissertator), Non-dissertators (Ph.D. candidates that have not passed a Prelim exam) and
Master degree students – which fellowships are we eligible for?
o Richard M. Heins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship – Dissertators
and Non-dissertators are eligible. The Heins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate
Fellowship will not be offered in 2016-17.
o Louis and Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships –
Dissertators only.
o Wisconsin Potato Industry Board Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship –
Dissertators, Non-dissertators and Master degree students are eligible.
o Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences –
Dissertators and Non-dissertators are eligible.

For the Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships, must a nominee have
already passed their preliminary exam at the time of application, or can the student take
and pass the preliminary exam before the fellowship begins?
o The nominee is not required to have passed the preliminary exam at time of
application, but the nominee is required to have passed the preliminary exam and
be enrolled as a dissertator before the fellowship begins.

Are nominees enrolled in CALS eligible to apply for the CALS fellowships if the
nominee’s major advisor does not have a tenured or tenure-leading appointment in a
CALS department?
o Nominees whose major advisor does not hold a tenured or tenure-leading
appointment in CALS are eligible if the advisor holds a partial appointment of 0.1
FTE or greater in CALS.
o Nominees whose major advisor holds neither a tenured or tenure-leading
appointment in CALS, nor a partial appointment of 0.1 FTE or greater in CALS,
are not eligible.

Are nominees who are not enrolled in CALS eligible to apply for the CALS fellowships
if the nominee’s major advisor has either a tenured or tenure-leading appointment in
CALS, or a partial appointment of 0.1 FTE or greater in CALS?
o Yes, such students are eligible for these fellowship opportunities.

I hold a Director appointment in CALS; however I do not hold a faculty appointment in
the College. Would a student I mentor be eligible for nomination?
o Unfortunately, no – since you do not hold an appointment in CALS, your student
would not be eligible for these fellowship opportunities.

Graduate transcripts are required – are original/official transcripts required, or are copies
acceptable.
o Copies may be included – if the review committee desires original/official
transcripts at time of review, you will be contacted at that time.
o Please include transcripts rather than semester Grade Reports.

Do I need to include transcripts for both my Master degree and Ph.D. work or just my
Ph.D. work?
o Transcripts for both Master degree and Ph.D. work are required.

What signatures are required on the application?
o The student’s major advisor must sign the letter of recommendation.
o The degree program Director under which the nomination is being submitted must
sign the cover page of the nomination package.

Should copies of the publications/papers to be attached to the nomination package?
o No, please do NOT include copies of publications/papers in the nomination
package.
o Students should NOT include “manuscripts in preparation” when listing
publications on the CV.

May I include support letters other than the advisor’s letter?
o No – the only letter of support to be included is the nomination letter from the
student’s major advisor.

Will teaching and outreach activities be considered by the review panels?
o No, the intent of these fellowships is to support research endeavors. Other
activities, although valuable, will not be considered.

Can the degree program Director request that the start date of the fellowship award be
postponed?
o Yes, however the end date of the fellowship cannot be extended past August 31.
Additionally, a fellowship cannot begin prior to September 1.
Cover Page – Page 1 of Nomination Package
Application for
Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences
2016-17
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Student Name:
Department and Degree
Program:
Major Professor:
Campus Address:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Date of Entry into Graduate
Program:
Date of Successful Completion
of Preliminary Examination (if
applicable):
Expected Date of Completion of
Graduate Program:
UW Grade Point Average for
Didactic* Courses Taken as a
Graduate Student:
Degree Program Director’s Signature/Date:
Signature of the degree program Director verifies that this application is the sole nomination from the
program and verifies status of the applicant.
* Note: For calculation of this grade point average, do not count independent study, internship, or seminar courses.